ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (May 18, 2024) – The Tampa Bay Rowdies bounced back from consecutive league losses with an outstanding 5-0 victory over FC Tulsa at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday night. Forward Manuel Arteaga and defender Forrest Lasso both recorded braces in the win, Tampa Bay’s fourth victory of the season.
“I was really pleased with the performance,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. “It was actually similar to last week, where we created loads of chances. The only difference tonight is we took our chances. We probably would have scored more goals. I was really pleased with the performance in front of a great crowd tonight.”
Arteaga opened the scoring just 12 minutes into the match. Beating a Tulsa defender to the ball in the middle of the field, Rowdies midfielder Charlie Dennis poked it toward the left wing for teammate Blake Bodily, who chipped a lofting cross over the defense that found Arteaga on the back post. With not much of an angle, Arteaga managed to pop a header over the keeper that snuck under the crossbar.
Dennis, making his first league start of the season, played an integral part in Tampa Bay’s second goal as well. Receiving a pass from captain Aaron Guillen in the 22nd minute, Dennis took one touch before launching a cross from the left flank that dropped right onto the head of Cal Jennings, who redirected it into the back of the net.
“Trying to create an angle from the shoulder of the defender so Aaron could play the ball up the line and give me more time to take a touch,” said Dennis. “Then I got my head up and then from there I put in a good ball, because I know Calis is going to finish the ball. It was nice to get an assist.”
Jennings offered the set up on the Rowdies third tally of the night. Jennings met a corner kick whipped in by Lewis Hilton at the near post, guiding it across goal with a header. The attempt was sailing wide right of the frame until Lasso flew in to head it across the line.
As the halftime whistle neared, the visitors gave the Rowdies a chance for a fourth goal from the penalty spot. Tulsa’s Edwin Laszo clattered into Jennings in the box, drawing a whistle. Arteaga stepped up and converted with a confident blast past keeper Joey Roggeveen’s outstretched arms.
The last time the Rowdies recorded four goals in the first half of a match was May 13 of last year, when they knocked off Detroit City FC 5-1.
“We came back with a chip on our shoulders and we definitely showed why we can be a top team and really push on up the table now, that’s what it’s about,” said Dennis. “Like We need to keep putting points on the board, so tonight was a step in the right direction.”
Lasso added his second goal for good measure in the 71st minute. Another excellent corner kick delivery from Hilton found the head of Lasso, who sent it straight into the top right corner from the middle of the box.
“Forrest has been great,” said Neilson. “We did quite a bit of work during the week on set pieces. [Assistant Coach] Nicky Law does work on the attacking side of things and [Assistant Coach] Stuart Dobson does the work on the defensive side. Both of them worked quite extensively this week on it. I thought we defended really well on corner kicks and free kicks. We knew Tulsa are a real threat on those. Attacking wise, it’s important that we don’t solely rely on Manu [Manuel Arteaga] and Cal [Jennings]. We have to get goals from elsewhere.”
Next up, the Rowdies are back at Al Lang Stadium on Wednesday night to face MLS’ FC Dallas in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16. Kickoff for the match is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Fans can purchase tickets by clicking here.
“Coming in on Monday it’s going to be all about FC Dallas,” said Rowdies keeper Jordan Farr. “…We’re going to treat this like a playoff game because it is. Win or go home. This team is very much capable of performing against the top class MLS organizations and teams. We’re going to ride the momentum but we’re going to treat it like a brand-new game.”
Scoring Summary
TBR – Arteaga (Bodily), 12’
TBR – Jennings (Dennis), 22’
TBR – Lasso (Jennings), 42’
TBR – Arteaga (Penalty), 45+1’
TBR – Lasso (Hilton), 71’
Caution Summary
TUL – Laszo, Yellow Card, 45+1’
TUL – Diallo, Yellow Card, 60’
TBR – Worth, Yellow Card, 84’
TUL – Dalou, Yellow Card, 90+1’
Lineups
Rowdies: Farr, Doherty, Lasso, Guillen, Niyongabire, Dennis, Hilton, Crisostomo, Bodily, Jennings, Arteaga
Rowdies Bench: Breno, Dezart, Kleemann, Munjoma, Skubis, Worth, Moon, Rivera, Ortiz
Tulsa: Rogeveen, St, Clair, Seagrist, Tetteh, Bourgeois, Portillo, Diallo, Laszo, Goodrum, Ferri, Stojanovic
Tulsa Bench: Creek, Damm, Sanchez, Souahy, Dalou, Ponce, Yosef
